Eternals – Exceptional Marvel Movie
Director: Chloe Zhao
Writer: Chloe Zhao, Patrick Burleigh, Ryan Firpo, Kaz Firpo (Screenplay)
Starring: Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kit Harrington, Kumail Nanjiani, Lia McHugh, Brian Tyree Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Barry Keoghan, Ma Dong-seok
Plot: The saga of the Eternals, a race of immortal beings who lived on Earth and shaped its history and civilizations.
Tagline – In the beginning…
Runtime: 2 Hours 37 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Eternals starts as we meet the Eternals lead by Ajak (Hayek), Sersi (Chan), Ikaris (Madden), Thena (Jolie), Kingo (Nanjiani), Sprite (McHugh, Phastos (Henry), Makkari (Ridloff), Druig (Keoghan) and Gilgamesh (Dong-seok) who have been watching over Earth protecting them from Deviants. They have looked over Earth for thousands of years, but have gone their separate ways after believing they got rid of all of the Deviants.
When a new Deviant arrives, Sersi, Sprite and Ikaris must look to bring the group back together to stop they taking out people, while learning of a bigger threat coming to Earth.
Thoughts on Eternals
Characters & Performances – Sersi takes center stage of the group of Eternals, her powers are to transform matter, with her character trying to live an everyday life with Sprite in London, seeing the best in humanity, but never understanding her place in this world. She is meant to be calm, less standout figure of the group, which Gemma Chan brings to the role, she will bring the biggest emotional impact in the film. Ikaris is the flash figure of the group, the one that will always believe he will become the leader one day, he has laser beams coming out of his eyes, can fly, being the most typical superhero figure in the group. Richard Madden is great in his side of the film, getting the important interactions with each and every member of the group. Thena goes hand in hand with Gilgamesh, she is a fighter that will start to see the darker sides of their powers, something her fellow devoted fighter Gilgamesh will support her through, the pair will have a connection much like what we previous saw with Hulk and Black Widow. It is delightful to see Ma Dong-seok in a major American release and being placed next to Jolie will only increase his reputation, as they are both wonderful together. Kingo became a Bollywood star, the fast wit will give him the most laughs in the film, with his character being one that will stand by his beliefs. Phastos is a man that could create technology, always wanting to help humanity evolve along the way, living with the consequences of his decision. Druig can control minds and has often used this ability in secret over time to stop conflict, he wants to bring peace to the world, which is against everything the Eternals stand for. Makkari has super speed and often has side games with Druig, where the pair a special connection. Sprite looks the youngest of the group, being left to live eternity as a child, never being able to have what the other adult figures could. The full range of characters will give us a glimpse into what could be coming in the future for decision they must make in their lives.
Story – The story here follows the Eternals that have been on Earth for centuries, protecting humanity from evil creatures, the Deviants, they fight them off whenever humanity is at risk, while watching over the evolution of man, until one day in the present day, they learn of a new threat they must reunite to protect the Earth again. This is an introduction to a new set of heroes, ones with bigger impact in the universe, let alone humanity. While we might gloss over the bigger questions about Thanos, we see how they must question everything they have been taught in the latest battle, beliefs which could tear them apart, or bring them closer than ever. For an origin story, this is one of the best ones we have seen for characters you might never have heard of, giving each one their strength, the vision of what they might call paradise and most of all, an unknown threat, a story with peril involved, we have stakes, unlike many superhero movies nowadays.
Themes – Eternals is the latest Marvel action movie, where we will see the group globe trot through time, through major conflicts and present day. We will get the big actions sequences, which might well be the weakest part of the film, as most are similar to what we have seen before, and most of the characters only having one or two moves in their arsenal. This is covered up by the complex nature of the characters, which will play into the locations, with each being somewhere they would consider a happy place.
Final Thoughts – Eternals is the best origin story we have seen in years, with the complex nature of the characters being the standout in the film.